This week RIM’s 7-inch tablet computer launched to somewhat surprising Day One sales. Nearly 50,000 units were moved within the first 24 hours and many Best Buy locations reported they were out of inventory altogether. This is despite the PlayBook having received mixed reviews in the press due to missing features, its lack of core applications (email, calendaring, contacts) and its truly small collection of apps.
But the PlayBook isn’t just RIM’s response to the iPad’s threat – it’s also meant to encourage sales of its BlackBerry smartphones. Will that strategy work? Let us know what you think in this week’s ReadWriteMobile poll.
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RIM says that it will ship the missing core applications like email via a software update later this year. In the meantime, the PlayBook’s “Bridge” feature, designed with the security needs of the enterprise in mind, brings those apps to the device when it’s tethered with a BlackBerry smartphone. Through BlackBerry Bridge, users can access the data in the core applications without that data actually being stored on the device itself. For the enterprise, this makes the PlayBook a more viable alternative than the iPad, in many cases.
The strategy here is that by offering this level of security, enterprise customers will retain their investment in RIM’s technologies, including BlackBerry Enterprise Server and BlackBerry smartphones, even when the contracts come up for reevaluation or renewal.
For non-enterprise consumers, too, there is some value in knowing that your personal data isn’t left behind on your tablet, especially if that tablet is shared with other family members (like the kids), as tablets often are.
Today, Matthew Miller over on ZDNet surprised himself by saying that the PlayBook has encouraged him to reconsider buying a BlackBerry smartphone. Will that be a case for others, too?
Will the PlayBook help spur BlackBerry smartphone sales?
Let us know if you think RIM’s strategy will work, both on the enterprise and consumer fronts, by taking part i this week’s ReadWriteMobile poll.
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